Water-closet bowl



Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

anentor Behf 0. 77/06/7.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BERT O. TILDEN, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN SANITARY WORKS, OF TRENTON, NE'VV JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

WATER-CLOSET BOWL.

Application filed. February 18, 1920.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BERT O. TILDEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Trenton, in the county of Mercer and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lVater'Closet Bowls, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to water closet bowls, of the plain siphon type, and has for its object certain modifications and improvements in the intake and discharge legs of the bowl, which produce stronger, quicker and more positive siphonic action, than any other closet bowl construction known to me. A particular object is to so construct the intake and discharge legs of the bowl that the main body of the flushing water, as it flows from the bowl into the dam chamber is deflected or diverted toward one side, instead of flowing straight rearwardly toward and over the dam, in the line of the longitudinal axis of the bowl. To accomplish this defiection, one side of the dam chamber is formed with a pronounced lateral outward bulge, and the dam is also correspondingly extended in the same direction. At the opposite end of the dam, the lateral wall of the dam chamber is disposed in substantially vertical plane, and is also positioned nearer to the line of the longitudinal axis of the fixture. This leaves the area or capacity of the said legs about the same as formerly, but accentuates the diversion of the water toward the aforesaid lateral bulge. Below the dam chamber, both the intake and the discharge legs have their axes substantially in the line of the longitudinal center of the bowl. This peculiar and novel arrangement of the dam chamber produces a pronounced zigzagging of the main stream of water from the bowl proper to the final outlet of the fixture, while a. smaller quantity of the water spills into the discharge leg as before. This results in two relatively broad and copious streams or sheets of water which descend from the spill-way of the dam in planes at such angles to each other that when said streams join each other a short distance below the dam, they completely out off the upward escape of the air in the lower portion of the discharge limb at the beginning of the flushing. This effects the prompt and effectual rarefying of the air inthe upper portion of the discharge limb and instantly Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14:, 1920.

Serial No. 858,922.

starts a strong siphonic action, which is maintained until the bowl is thoroughly flushed and cleaned. The present invention is an improvement of the water closet bowl structure shown in my Reissue Patent No. 12,496, dated June 12, 1906.

I attain these objects by the means set forth in the detailed description which follows, and as illustrated by the accompanymg drawing, in which Figure 1 is a. top-plan view of the closet bowl. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section, taken on line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a ver tlcal cross-section, taken on line 33 of Fig. showing the lateral bulge at one side of the dam chamber and the vertical wall at the opposite side of the chamber; also showing a lateral bulge adjacent the vertical wall for preserving the symmetry of the fixture. Fig. at is a horizontalsection, taken on line 4.4 of Fig. 2.

The drawing illustrates what is known in the trade as a reverse trap siphon closet bowl, indicated at 2. 3 is the usual flushing rim, and 3 is the usual flushing entrance to the rim and the bowl. 4 is the up or intake leg, by which the bowl is vented and emptied. 5 is the discharge or down leg, which intersects the leg 4 at the dam 6. This point of intersection will hereinafter be referred to as the dam chamber 6. The bottom of the discharge leg 5 is preferably provided with horizontal ledge or abrupt deflecting surface 7. This ledge may entirely encircle the lower end of the leg 5, or it may be crescent shaped, both of which forms are now more or less common to the trade. The principal object of this deflecting surface 7 is to so obstruct the initial down flow of the water in the leg 5, that on striking the said ledge, the water is deflected across the outlet 8 in such manner that it forms a film or shower, which retards the outflow until what is commonly called the water plug forms above said outlet, and falling, carries the air in said lower portion of the leg 5 through the passage 8. This ejection of the air from the lower portion of the down leg 5, causes the rarefying of the air in the dam chamber 6 and produces the desired siphonic action. which empties and cleanses the bowl 2. I

Heretofore, practically all water closets have been so constructed that the axes of the intake'and the' discharge legs were poing and cleansing the bowls.

sitioned substantially in the line of the longitudinal axes of the bowls, as indicated by the broken lines in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, so that the up flow and the down flow of the water during the flushing operations has invariably followed this common plane and line. In later years, in these older bowls, the dams, corresponding to part 6 in the present bowl, were provided with substantially horizontal or flat spill-ways or terminals, and the water rising from the bowls usually flowed straight over these dams, and eithei followed the front or rear walls of the discharge legs, or else cascaded straight clownwardly, from the dams to the ledges (7), or corresponding portions, at the bottom of said legs. In these older makes of bowls, the outflow of the water during the flushing followed the line of least resistance, which as explained, usually corresponded to the longitudinal axis of the bowls, and owing to the fact that during different p01" tions of the flushing periods, the volume of water varies to an appreciable extent, void spaces or air-pockets were left undisturbed between the dams and the restricted outlets. This not infrequently resulted in delaying, as well as preventing or lowering the .vacuum, which is essential for creating the proper siphonic action for eflectually flush- Even when greater volumes of water were sent over the dams, as by increasing the bore and capacity of the intake legs, for the purpose of more completely filling and flooding the discharge legs, the strength and continuity of the siphonic action varied greatly, with the result that many of these older closet bowls failed to reach the highest standard of perfection. Constant alterations and changes, having for their primary object the correcting and remedying of these defects, have been made in the past, but notwithstanding these activities and experiments, defects such as described are still causing trouble and annoyance.

The present bowl, so far as the construction and arrangement of the dam and the.

dam chamber is concerned, is a novel departure from the regular straight up and down discharge bowls, referred to, and provision is made whereby the water in ascending the up-leg from the bowl. toward the dam 6, is carried to one side of the longitudinal axis or center of the bowl, by means of a lateral outward bulge 4. After the water flows over the lateral extension 6 of the dam, it enters a corresponding lateral enlargement or bulge 5 at the top of the dis charge leg, from which it flows down the adjacent inwardly declining wall 5*. The water thus diverted from the usual straight course,

7 in line with the longitudinal center of the bowl, constitutes the larger portion of the end of the fixture.

flushing supply, and when this body of water descends as far as the terminus a: of the inward bend 5, it leaps across the bore or area of. the narrowest portion 5 of the down leg 5, and strikes against the opposite wall (see dotted line 5 in Fig. 3), from whence the water falls upon the ledge 7 and splashes upwardly in the usual shower or spray, which temporarily seals the outlet 8, as described. At the same time another and somewhat less volume or portion of the water coming from the bowl 2, flows directly over the dam 6 and descends in substantially vertical plane toward the ledge '4', where it augments the film or spray re ferred to. In this way, two sheets of water are descending from the dam toward the ledge 7, and the planes of said sheets (see dotted lines 5 in Figs. 2 and 3) are at such angles to each other as to completely close the medial or contracted portion 5 of the bore of the leg 5. The water plug, socalled, then quickly forms and falls, and is immediately followed by a siphonic action of such strength and continuity as to effectually empty and cleanse the bowl. The siphonic action produced by the zigzagging of the course of the outfiowing water is more prompt and of greater strength, and shows less failures under standard tests, than any other closet bowl construction known to me.

At the opposite side of the dam chamber (5, the inner wall 9 is formed substantially vertically, and extends in this manner substantially from the forward end of the intake leg l, past the dam 6, and thence downwardly in the leg 5 and terminates at the medial portion 5. This plane vertical wall aids materially in the diversion of the main body of the flushing water toward the opposite lateral bulge 4-5, and is therefore an important feature of my improvement. In sanitary fixtures of this class, it is desirable and important, when creating new designs, as well as when altering or improving the old designs, to preserve, as far as practicable the symmetry of the fixture. In the present case, the pronounced bulging of the one (left) side,in order to carry out the objects of the improvement, gives a lopsided or unbalanced appearance to the rear In order to conceal this distortion and preserve the symmetry and ornamental aspect, at this point, a similar outwardly bulging wall 9, of the same relative thickness as the walls 4, 5 and 9 is molded on to the opposite (right) side of the bowl in such manner that a hollow space 9 is left between the walls 9 and 9. This air space is furthermore necessary in order to avoid warping and cracking of the earthenware during the baking process, such as would be liable to occur, if the bulging portion 9' were made solid instead of hollow.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A siphon structure for use in water closets having at the junction of the intake leg and the discharge leg a lateral outward bulge on one side and a vertical wall on the other, a dam located at said junction and one end thereof extending into said bulge, the opposite end of said dam joined to said vertical wall. Y

2. A siphon structure for use in water closets having a dam at the intersection of the intake and the discharge legs, one end of said dam being joined to a vertical wall which forms one lateral side of said legs, the intake leg and the discharge leg at said intersection being bulged outwardly at the side opposite said vertical wall for diverting the flow of the flushing stream to one side of the line of the longitudinal axis of the closet bowl, and the opposite end of said dam being extended into the said bulge.

3. In a water closet, the combination of the bowl with a siphon structure having an intake leg and a discharge leg, and a horizontal dam located at the intersection of said legs, said siphon structure having a lateral outward bulge at one end of said dam for divert-ing the flow of flushing water away from the line of the longitudinal axis of said bowl, and having a substantially vertical wall at the opposite end of said dam.

4. In a. water closet, the combination of a bowl with a siphon structure comprising an intake leg, a horizontal dam,- and a discharge which connects witn the intake leg at said dam, the common lateral wall at one end of said dam being bulged outwardly, the wall at the opposite end of said dam being disposed in a vertical plane substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bowl, and the said vertical wall being dis posed closer to said axial line than the said bulge.

5. In a water closet, the combination oi the bowl with a siphon structure comprising an intake leg, a dam, and a discharge leg which connects with the intake leg at the terminal of said dam, said discharge leg having a contracted bore between its receiving and discharge ends, the wall at one end of said dam bulged outwardly ior diverting a portion of? the flushing water laterally away from the line of the longitudinal axis of the bowl, whereby said portion of the water when flowing clown the discharge leg leaps across said contracted portion of said leg, and the wall at the opposite end of said dam being disposed in a vertical plane and nearer to the line of said axis than the inner surface of said bulge.

6. In a water closet, the combination of the bowl with a siphon structure having an intake leg of substantially the same capacity as the discharge leg, said intake leg at its discharge end being bulged outwardly laterally, and said discharge leg at its receiving end being correspondingly bulged, the corresponding opposite sides of said legs comprising a vertical wall which is disposed nearer to the line of the longitudinal axis of the bowl than said bulged portions, and a horizontal dam located at the intersection of said intake and discharge legs and extending from said vertical wall to the deepest portion of said bulge.

7. In a water closet, the combination of the bowl with a siphon structure having an intake leg, a discharge leg-and a dam located at the intersection of said legs, one wall of said structure adjacent the point of intersection of said legs being disposed vertically and joined to one end of said dam, and the wall at the opposite end of said dam being bulged outwardly for diverting the main body of the flushing water laterally away from said vertical wall, the said vertical wall guiding the remainder of the flushing water substantially in the line of the longitudinal axis of the bowl.

8. In means for creating powerful and continuous siphonic action in water closets, the combination of the bowl with the intake leg, the discharge leg, and the substantially horizontal dam located at the intersection of said legs, the wall at one end of said dam being bulged outwardly laterally and the wall at the opposite end of said dam being vertical and disposed closer to the line of the longitudinal axis of the bowl than said bulged portion, for directing the larger portion of the water during the flushing operations in a Zigzag course.

9. In a water closet, the combination of the bowl with a siphon structure having an intake leg, at discharge leg, and a dam, the intake leg and the discharge leg meeting and forming a dam chamber at the terminal of the dam, the discharge leg having an inward bend below the dam chamber, one end of? said dam. chamber adjacent said bend being bulged outwardly laterally for first diverting the main body of the flushing water toward said end and then for directing said body toward said bend and thence across the bore oi the discharge leg.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature.

BER-T O. TILDEN. 

